Former NBA veteran Kirk Hinrich joins Sanford Power

Chicago Bulls' Kirk Hinrich in action during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, in Philadelphia. The Bulls won 115-111 in overtime.(Photo: Chris Szagola, AP)

Former Kansas Jayhawks All-American and NBA veteran Kirk Hinrich has joined Sanford Power basketball as lead academy specialist.

A Sioux City native who now lives in Sioux Falls, Hinrich led the Jayhawks to the Final Four in 2002 and 2003 and was a 1st round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls. He played 14 seasons in the NBA, scoring 9,594 career points (10.9 per game) and ranking in the top 100 in NBA history in career assists (4,245) and 3-pointers (1,172). He earned over $70 million as a player in his career.

Those credentials should serve the 36-year-old Hinrich well as a mentor and instructor to basketball youths in the area. He last played in the NBA in the 2015-16 season.

“About a year ago Kirk was coming up (to the Pentagon) to get some shots up, just to get some work in, and we started talking about how things could get better for us and allow him to stay involved in the game of basketball,” said Sanford Power’s Alan Bertram. “And a partnership came together.

“Not only are we getting a great basketball mind and basketball player but a person who embodies what we believe in,” Bertram said. “He has the utmost morals and values, and that’s what you want with someone who’s going to work with young people.”

Hinrich will work in all facets of the Sanford basketball academies with all age groups. His stature as a player should resonate with kids and their families, but Hinrich will also bring a certain perspective to his role. He isn’t going to sell himself as a miracle worker.

“Everybody asks me what I did to get to the NBA,” Hinrich says. “I tell them there’s no magic drill. I was in the gym every day. I worked very hard at it and was passionate about it, and was fortunate to have people that helped me along the way. That’s it. It was hard work and determination.

“Playing in the NBA, that wasn’t my dream (growing up),” Hinrich said. “I just dreamed of playing high school basketball. It just kind of evolved after that.”

Hinrich says his father, who coached him through high school, was his biggest inspiration. He says his love of basketball is what made his new job attractive, and he’ll pass along just as many of the lessons he learned from his dad as he did playing in packed Division I and NBA arenas.

“I learned a lot of life lessons from the game of basketball at every level,” Hinrich said. “My father always told me ‘positive attitude, positive results’. That always stuck out to me.”